I Do!
by morning sun
Summary: Cormoran Strike Series. Takes place after Career of Evil. "Robin's enthused words reverberated through the church, almost seeming to echo back and forth off the high walls. Strike gripped the arm of the pew, his eyes staying locked on her blue-grey ones, her wide smile making his violently beating heart skip." A continuation of the last chapter, to hold us all over.


**Authors Note:** I finished Career of Evil a couple of days ago, and I cursed when it ended. I was distraught at the thought of having to wait at least another year until the next book in the series comes out. So until then, here's just a little continuation to keep me (us?) going until Mr. Galbraith/J.K. Rowling releases the next novel. Still ambiguous, but less of a cliff hanger.

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"I do!"

Robin's enthused words reverberated through the church, almost seeming to echo back and forth off the high walls. Strike gripped the arm of the pew, his eyes staying locked on her blue-grey ones, her wide smile making his violently beating heart skip. He rather felt than saw the eyes of every guest turn to look at him, following Robins gaze to the large man in the back. A quite murmur ran through the wedding guests, and it was this that caused Cormoran's eyes to tear away from Robins, looking self-consciously around him before briefly settling on his lap. He was desperately trying to shrink into his seat, aware that the man seated in front of Strike had actually turned to look openly in disgust at him. Strike assumed that this man was probably related to Matthew somehow. At that thought he dared to look back up to the front of the church, his eyes catching various hostile ones until he again met Robin's steady gaze. She'd not turned away.

There was a pregnated pause, Matthew looking stricken at Robin and throwing angry glances Cormoran's way. His mouth worked in an effort to say something, but he'd clearly run short of words and his lips only opened and closed indignantly. The tall and monotonous voiced priest, who'd been just as caught off guard as the rest of the guests, cleared his throat in an effort to break the awkward tension, which had built in the space of only a few seconds. He opened his mouth as if to continue with the vows as though nothing had happened. The holy man stopped, however, when Robin released her limp hands from Matthew's and began to step away from the pulpit. Cormoran watched, wide eyed now, as Matthew grabbed for her. But Robin moved quickly now, her eyes never leaving his, her smile never breaking. Strike barely heard Matthew's panicked shout of "Robin" as she made her way down the aisle and away from her intended husband, one hand bunching around the folds of her dress and hiking it up past her ankles.

Strike stood as she drew closer, unsure what to do now; unsure of what he'd ever intended to do. His mind seemed sluggish, unable to even try and comprehend what was happening. But Robin, it seemed, knew the course she wanted to take. She didn't slow as she reached him; she just stuck out the hand not hindered by holding up the skirt of her dress, and out of reflex Cormoran took it. They turned almost as a unit, as if this had been planned and choreographed, and left the church, the pot of flowers once again falling to the ground in a loud crash as his hip struck it on a turn.

"I'm sorry!" Robin shouted over her shoulder just before the doors swung shut behind them.

But she didn't sound sorry, and as Cormoran stared down at her, dumb struck, he saw that the smile hadn't left her face. She gripped Strike's hand almost vice like as she said up to him, "Get me out of here Cormoran."

"Alright, Robin."

They kept on moving, Cormoran ignoring the pain in his leg from the weeks strain he'd put on it. He navigated her to the car that Shanker had brought him in, the man clearly startled as he spotted Strike and Robin moving quickly toward the Mercedes. Shanker's mouth hung in a surprised O, his half smoked cigarette clinging precariously to his bottom lip. But at Strike's bark to, "Get us out of here, Shank," he jumped and slid back into the driver's seat, a shrill bark of laughter escaping his lips.

As Strike ushered Robin into the back seat of the car, pushing the train of her white dress in after her, he heard the doors of the church swing open. He turned to see Matthew, his face contorted in equal parts rage and disbelief, standing on the top step of the church. For a moment Strike was rooted to the spot, unable to tear his eyes away from the man, who was clearly humiliated. Cormoran felt a momentary pang of guilt, and then the memory of all the things Matthew had put Robin through rushed back to him in a wave. The rows about her working for him, the snide remarks at the pub meetings Robin had forced them both to attend, Robin's drunken revelation that Matthew had cheated on her during the worst time of her life. His dislike for Matthew manifested tenfold in that moment and Strike couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, unable to keep it away as he realized that, all this time what he'd wanted was for Robin not to marry this man. It didn't matter that she wasn't with him, he told himself. It didn't matter that they were nothing but partners. All that mattered was that she didn't marry this pathetic excuse for a man, who clearly didn't deserve her.

Strike was overcome with the urgency to get Robin away from Matthew, from this ceremony, from this church. To get her away from what was undoubtedly a mistake, the biggest one she'd ever make if she married Matthew. Strike placed a foot in the back seat of the car and raised a hand to the sputtering man on the steps of the church.

"Cheers!" he called to Matthew, and then he ducked quickly into the car behind Robin.

As the church disappeared behind them Robin turned to Cormoran, her smile wavering slightly as she said, "Now what?"

It hung in the air between them, unanswered.

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 **AN:** I got a reply e-mail from admin, and they approved my request for a Cormoran Strike category. So, there is now a category for Cormoran Strike Fan Fiction! Huzzah! Go and write my lovely shippers!

**Reviews are what feed the author. Yum. :)


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